Page 45 - Fall2020

(whole grains are generally 30 to 70 percent be rotated and replaced every six months—yes, Grinding
cheaper than flour), provides more nutrition water has a shelf life! your own
(and less rancidity) and also makes prepared-
ness far easier. For example, two five-gallon BASIC MEDICAL SUPPLIES grain saves
buckets—one of oat groats and one of spelt ber- Right now is not a fun time to have to go you money,
ries—combined with a grain mill would let you to the emergency room (and really, it never has provides
produce one to two servings of food per person been!). Part of preparedness means having the
per day for five people for three months! If you skills and supplies that allow you to take care more
cannot eat grains that are in the wheat family, a of minor medical mishaps at home and also nutrition and
grain mill can still be quite useful for handling prevent them from becoming something more also makes
buckwheat groats and other non-gluten options. serious. Next to nourishing foods and clean
I also recommend learning how to make water, our at-home medical supplies are one of preparedness
sourdough, which requires only salt and no the most useful things that has helped us raise far easier.
yeast. For sourdough, fermentation and other five antibiotic-free kids who have tallied up fifty
purposes, it is wise to keep about twenty to years of life on this earth.
twenty-five pounds of salt on hand, particularly We have multiple medical supply kits;
since salt is easy to store. one goes in each of our vehicles with an extra
backup in the house. (The full list of what our
DON’T FORGET WATER kits contain is available on my website. ) By
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Food is the backbone of preparedness, but always having a range of basic first aid and
it isn’t the only thing a prepared family should medical supplies on hand, we have been able to
have on hand. It is also important to give some handle an assortment of issues quickly. Of the
thought to having a backup supply of water. Last wide range of supplies our kits contain, the ones
summer, we lost our well—our primary water we have used most often are sterile gauze and
source—for almost ten days. bandages, bandaids, Steri-Strips and iodine. (If
Modern water filters are amazing in their this gives you the idea that the vast majority of
ability to take substandard water sources and injuries in our family have been cuts, scrapes
turn them into something worth drinking, but and wounds, you would be correct!) To go along
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the vast majority rely on the modern grid—pres- with the kits, we keep a range of additional items
surized water and/or electricity—to work. Ber- in our house: activated charcoal capsules, col-
keys and a few other brands do not, so we have a loidal silver, our beloved elderberry syrup and
Berkey tucked away for emergencies along with other elderberry preparations.
other backup water options. Space permitting, I Along with growing food, we also “grow
suggest storing at least ten to twenty gallons of medicines” such as echinacea, yarrow, plan-
potable water in five-gallon jugs. (You can also tain and other plants helpful for bruises, stings,
get glass storage jugs.) Note that this will need to scrapes and a host of other injuries and issues.

NUTRIENT-DENSE AND EASY-TO-STORE EMERGENCY FOODS
FATS: Ghee; coconut oil; lard; olive oil.
PROTEINS: Jerky; pemmican; home-canned soups and stews (or high-quality artisanal soups and stews).

CARBS: Lentils; beans; grains; crackers (we make our own spelt sourdough crackers).
CHEESE: If you have a root cellar, cheese is an exceptional “stored food,” especially three to five-pound rounds with
the rind still on.
NUTS AND DRIED FRUIT: Crispy nuts (soaked and dehydrated), fruits and trail mixes (be sure to store in airtight con-
tainers or packaging).
FREEZE-DRIED FOODS: While expensive, freeze-dried foods can be quite useful and have the benefit of preserving
far more nutrition than other, more common food preservation methods.

FALL 2020 Wise Traditions 43